Timon
: “''Ah, you're an outcast! That's great, so are we!” : ―Timon, alongside Pumbaa, to Simba '''Timon' is a comical meerkat and a supporting character in Disney's 1994 feature film The Lion King. He is also the protagonist of the 2004 film The Lion King 1½. Background Timon is the best friend of Pumbaa, friend and guardian (when he was a cub) ofSimba, son of Ma, and nephew of Uncle Max. Inspired by the idea of having a major predator on their side in The Lion King, he and Pumbaa took Simba in when he collapsed of heat exhaustion and guilt after his father's death. In The Lion King 1½, Timon is primarily shown as the every-man meerkat of his colony, who longs for a better life and according to him: "...where we don't have to dig tunnels and live with our heads stuck in the sand." Personality In the The Lion King films, Timon can be self-centered and thoughtless at times. One example is proven when they decided to take Simba in, he robs Pumbaa of the credit Pumbaa rightfully deserves. But in the end, he has a good heart, and is loyal to his friends and family. Unlike most meerkats, who work constantly, Timon is a daydreamer which results in him being an outcast of his colony. His status at the bottom of the food chain means he relies on stronger animals to protect him once he's on his own, and as such, he usually looks out for himself, but nonetheless, never abandons his friends and family in times of trouble and is willing to risk himself for them. He is also shown to be self-absorbed and not as clever as he'd like to think he is, such as sometimes claiming Pumbaa's good ideas as his own. Timon is not incapable of thinking up his own plans though, as shown by one of his greatest moments being the "Tunnels" plan in The Lion King 1½. He is also a bit of a coward, but with some amount of ability to be a bit of a daredevil, as evidenced by the part of The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride where he tried to intimidate Zira by sarcastically introducing himself and Pumbaa to her and yelling at her to get out of their Pride Lands, but it backfired when Zira instantly replied, "YOUR Pride Lands?!" and roared, and Timon hid behind Pumbaa. In The Lion King 1½, Timon is shown to have a very good heart in this film and is loving in some scenes between him and Ma, and shares a strong bond with her. He is also shown to have unique heroic characteristics in this film not seen in other appearances, such as having exceptional bravery in the part where he risks his own life to fix a failed hyena trap that Ma and Uncle Max create. However, Timon also shows a selfish side when he refuses to help Simba challenge Scar and prefers to stay alone in the jungle rather than going to Pride Rock with Pumbaa (though he regrets what he has done after encountering Rafiki a second time and decides to make up with his friends and help Simba). Timon is also iconic for being best friends with Pumbaa, the warthog. The two are nearly inseparable, and are shown together constantly. Being extremely close, they share interests such as sleeping, fun-filled activities, and most of all, eating bugs, which they mostly refer to as grubs. The duo are also known to argue time and time again, mostly because of Timon's selfishness and Pumbaa's ultimate nobility causing their personalities to clash. Even so, they never separate for long, and soon enough, their bond is tightened once again. Also, while Pumbaa is generally the true brains of the outfit, he is still very childish, with Timon shown to be rather protective of the warthog when the latter is in some kind of unfortunate event due to his naivety. This is an example of Timon's ultimate loyalty towards his friends and family. Despite his self-absorbed nature, he will eventually come around to do what's right, despite the sacrifices he has to make. On very rare occasions, particularly in the Timon and Pumbaa television series, Timon has demonstrated a rather selfish side. Notable examples are in "To Kilimanjaro Bird", where Timon callously steals a bowlful of bugs from a baby eagle and is initially reluctantly about babysitting the eagle in retribution; in "You Ghana Join the Club", he needlessly steals a watch from a lion when retrieving a set of jingle bells; in "How to Beat the High Costa Rica", after Timon and Pumbaa retrieve a case full of stolen money from Criminal Quint, Timon squanders it all on himself instead of taking it to the police; in "Kenya Be My Friend?", Timon forgets "Bestest Best Friend Day" and outright prefers to end his friendship with Pumbaa instead of admitting that he forgot (although they reconcile and he continues to deny forgetting it to avoid breaking Pumbaa's heart), among others. In these instances, it is usually Pumbaa who is the voice of reason and helps Timon to make the right decision. Other than those times, Timon is also shown to be caring towards his friends and is still shown to have heroic characteristics. Some examples are in "Timon's Time Togo", where he rescues Pumbaa from falling off a cliff, "French Fried", where he and Pumbaa rescue Speedy the Snail from getting cooked by Culinary Quint, and "Once Upon a Timon", where he and Pumbaa rescue Tatiana from a cobra. Appearances The Lion King Timon is first seen riding on Pumbaa's back, running among a flock of vultures to scatter them for fun. Pumbaa notices that the vultures have gathered around Simba's unconscious body. When Timon surveys Simba and realizes that he is a lion, he tells Pumbaa to flee, but Pumbaa insists that they remain and nurture the cub. Timon says that Simba will surely kill them when he becomes big enough to do it, but Pumbaa claims that this will not happen if they teach him to be on their side. Timon initially laughs at this idea but then claims it as his own, accepting Simba as his future friend and protector. Together, he and Pumbaa take Simba to a pool of water, where Timon splashes water on the cub's face, reviving him. Timon tells Simba that he had saved his life, but Pumbaa, dissatisfied, snorts at him, causing Timon to recognize that Pumbaa had helped. However, Simba depressingly walks away. Timon mutters that the lion looks blue, to which Pumbaa says that Simba looks more brownish-gold, and Timon explains that "blue" is just a metaphor for depression. Timon and Pumbaa chase after Simba, and Pumbaa asks, "What's eating ya?" Timon jokes and said that Simba can't be eaten, since lions are at the top of the food chain. He laughs out loud, but then notices that Pumbaa and Simba are not, so he stops laughing and asks Simba where he came from. Simba says that it doesn't matter, because he can no longer go back. Timon concludes that Simba is an outcast, and cheerfully says that he and Pumbaa are as well. Pumbaa asks Simba what he'd done, but Simba says that he doesn't want to talk about it. Timon claims that they don't want to hear about it. Simba goes on to say that the only way to solve his problem is to change the past. Pumbaa tries to explain "Hakuna Matata" to Simba but gets confused, and Timon tells him to lie down before he hurts himself. The meerkat then explains that in bad times, one has to leave his past behind. He asks Simba if it's true that one cannot do anything when something bad happens, and Simba agrees. However, Timon refutes him, and tells him that he should turn his back on the world when the world turns its back on him. He and Pumbaa then sing "Hakuna Matata". During the song, they introduce Simba to their home. When Simba asks what a motto is, Timon quickly comes up with a new joke, asking "what's a motto with Simba," and then he and Pumbaa burst out laughing. The two then talk to Simba about Pumbaa's backstory and how Hakuna Matata improved his life. Timon also makes lunch out of bugs for Simba and teaches him that they are actually a very healthy and delicious snack. Simba agrees to live with them and quickly make friends with the duo. When Simba fully matures into a young adult, he gazes up at the stars with Timon and Pumbaa. Timon congratulates Simba on a good, loud belching. Pumbaa then asks Timon what the bright dots in the sky are, and Timon says that they are the fireflies. When Pumbaa says that he thinks they're balls of gas, Timon jokingly says that with Pumbaa, everything's gas. After Simba talks about his theory, taught to him by his father earlier in the film, Timon mocks his theory and indirectly calls Mufasa a mook. Simba sadly leaves the meadow, and Timon questions if it was something he'd said. Timon later sings "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" with Pumbaa until he notices that Pumbaa has ran off to chase a bug. He starts to run through the jungle, looking for his friend and hears shouting and growling. Suddenly, Pumbaa runs in front of him and gets stuck under a raised root. Timon asks what's going on, and Pumbaa hysterically yells that a lioness is going to eat him. Timon climbs onto his friend's back and raises his head, seeing an angry lioness running toward them. He bravely jumps between the lioness and Pumbaa and shoves at Pumbaa's rear, unsuccessfully pushing him forward. When the lioness jumps at them, Timon opens his arms to protect Pumbaa and screams in horror, but then Simba jumps at the lioness and knocks her to the ground, starting a battle with her. Timon pats Pumbaa on the back, calming him, and promises that he is there for him and that everything is going to be okay. He then turns to Simba and the lioness, and starts to shout instructions at Simba about where and how to strike her. While they're wrestling, Timon cheers for Simba and then turns to Pumbaa, reminding him that he had known Simba would come in handy. The lioness manages to pin Simba to the ground, causing him to realise that the lioness is his childhood friend Nala. When she recognizes him as well, they start to happily jump around each other, while Timon watches in confusion. He comes between them and loudly asks Simba what's going on, and Simba introduces Nala. Timon remains puzzled by the fact that Simba is friends with someone who'd just tried to kill Pumbaa. After Pumbaa and Nala exchange friendly greetings, Timon asks for a time-out and restates the scenario, ending with an exclamation of frustration. Simba tells him to relax but soon engages in conversation with Nala, who reminds him that he's the king. Timon snorts and disbelieves Nala, but Pumbaa is thrilled with the idea starts to grovel at Simba's feet. Timon, disgusted, rebukes his friend but then turns to Simba, asking if it's indeed true. Simba claims it's not, but Timon is now convinced of Nala's story. Simba tries to say that he's still the same guy, but Timon reminds Simba that he now has power. Interjecting herself into the conversation, Nala asks Timon and Pumbaa to leave her and Simba alone. Timon boldly states that she can say whatever she wants in front of them, but Simba tells them to leave them in privacy. Aghast, Timon departs with Pumbaa. The two spy on Simba and Nala as they two go for a walk through the jungle. Timon complains about the situation, and when Pumbaa doesn't understand, he explains to him through song that Simba and Nala are falling in love and will therefore leave Timon and Pumbaa without their buddy Simba. Broken-hearted, the two cry together while Simba and Nala embrace. The following morning, the two are seen sleeping in their nest without Simba. Nala wakes Timon, who thinks he is being attacked by carnivores and starts screaming, accidentally waking Pumbaa. Nala calms them down, and Timon tells her to never do such things again. Nala asks them if they have seen Simba, but Timon tells her that he had thought that Simba was with Nala. At this moment, Rafiki appears on a nearby tree and announces that Simba has returned to Pride Rock. Timon is not clear as to what the baboon has said, but Rafiki disappears before he can explain. Timon asks Nala who the "monkey" is, but she just says that Simba has gone back to confront Scar. Pumbaa wonders who has a scar, and Nala clarifies that she's talking about Simba's uncle. Doubly confused, Timon questions whether the monkey is Simba's uncle, and Nala frustratedly explains that Simba has gone back to challenge his Uncle Scar to take his place as king. Finally, the two understand. After hearing that Simba is in trouble, Timon and Pumbaa journey to the Pride Lands to help their friend, who is happy to accept their company. Timon, however, is confused as to why they are fighting for a barren wasteland. Simba explains that it is his home, and, accepting the lion's words, Timon pledges his loyalty. Once near Pride Rock, Timon and Pumbaa create a diversion (singing Hawaiian War Chant, dressed in a gown of grass and with flower in hair) in order to let Simba and Nala reach Scar unnoticed. After the hyenas take chase, Timon and Pumbaa manage to escape in time to return for the final battle, where they fight the hyenas in a style similar to their bowling for buzzards. In the midst of the fight, Timon is targeted by Banzai and chased into Scar's cave. There, he hides with Zazu and begs the hyenas not to eat him. Just in time, Pumbaa shows up and frees his friend, who cheers as the hyenas flee the cave. After the battle, Timon stands beside Pumbaa as they watch their friend ascend Pride Rock and take his place as king. Years later, Timon stands on Pumbaa's back next to Nala and Simba on the edge of Pride Rock. As the animals of the Pride Lands gather to see the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub, Timon waves his hands in a classic victory sign, welcoming this new addition to the circle of life. The Lion King II: Simba's Pride After Kiara is presented to the animals at Pride Rock, Timon assumes Kiara is a boy and tells Pumbaa about the adventures they will have. He faints alongside Pumbaa when Rafiki corrects them by telling them that Kiara is a girl. Months pass and Kiara becomes a young, playful cub. When Kiara runs off to play, Simba instructs Timon and Pumbaa to watch over her so she doesn't get hurt or cause trouble. They find Kiara, but she eventually runs off when he and Pumbaa begin to debate over bugs. Timon is seen again when Zira encounters Simba and tries to tell her to get out of the Pride Lands, but Zira frightens Timon when she roars at him. Timon also remarks in the conservation that Kovu is a "fuzzy maraca." After the conservation, Timon along with Pumbaa, Nala, and the Pride Landers head straight back to Pride Rock while Simba stays behind to scold Kiara. Years later, when Kiara matures into a young adult, Simba again instructs him and Pumbaa to make sure she doesn't get hurt. When Kiara finds Timon, she questions his presence and Timon tells her that he is shopping for various items for the den. Kiara realizes he's lying and runs away again. He along with Pumbaa tries to go after her, but they lose her. The next morning, when Kovu is teaching Kiara how to hunt, Kovu accidentally runs into Timon. Timon, frightened, thinks he is going to eat him. But, when Kiara appears, he enlists the help of the lions to scare off the birds from taking their feeding grounds. It soon turns into a game until they run into a herd of rhinoceros that chase them the opposite way. When Simba is injured from the ambush by Zira and the Outsiders, he along with Pumbaa, Kiara, and Zazu find and assist him back to Pride Rock. When Kovu comes to apologize for the ambush, Timon is quick to blame him and comically wants "to get at him." Soon after that, Timon along with Pumbaa discover that Kiara is not inside Pride Rock (having left to find Kovu) and ends up revealing this to Simba before joining the other Pride Landers after Zazu warns Simba that the Outsiders are coming to the Pride Lands to fight. When some Outsiders surround Timon and Pumbaa during the battle, he comically uses Pumbaa's tail as a shotgun and scares them off. Finally, after the battle is over, he looks alongside Pumbaa and Zazu when Simba, Nala, Kovu, and Kiara roar on top of Pride Rock. The Lion King 1½ he film begins by explaining Timon's backstory in which he lives in a meerkat colony far away from Pride Rock and is hated by his fellow meerkats for destroying their tunnels every week. Unable to fit in, Ma, who always tries to make Timon's hair look neat, tries to get her son to be on sentry duty. Timon is mentored by Uncle Max who teaches him to "scurry, sniff, flinch." While on guard, he starts doing the exercise until he starts singing "That's All I Need." When he finishes singing, the hyenas appear and push him aside to infiltrate the meerkat colony. The hyenas repeatedly try to eat meerkats, but they escape into their burrows except Uncle Max who escapes being eaten. As a result, Timon loses favor among his colony and leaves to go find his place in life While on the journey, he meets Rafiki and teaches him "Hakuna Matata." Also, he tells the meerkat to "look beyond what you see" and assumes his dream home is Pride Rock. He later meets Pumbaa and uses him to protect him from predators. When he arrives at Pride Rock, he and Pumbaa find the animals gathered to see Simba. With the option of Pride Rock as his dream home gone, he finds a new home near Pride Rock. When they enter the crowd, Timon pulls Pumbaa's tail which makes the animals pass out and appear to be bowing before the newborn prince. Timon and Pumbaa make a new home away from Pride Rock until it is destroyed during "I Just Can't Wait to be King" when Timon hits the leg of an elephant, causing the tower of animals to collapse. The two venture into the Elephant Graveyard and the gorge, where they enter a wildebeest stampede. Timon, having survived a waterfall, gives up until he is awakened the next morning and sees a jungle, which they promptly make their new home After a short period of time, they take young Simba in and raise him under the philosophy of "Hakuna Matata. Alhough they had trouble with him and night " When Simba grows into a full grown adult, he meets and falls in love with his old friend Nala, causing Timon to think Simba's love for her will spell doom for his friendship with him. Along with Pumbaa, Timon tries several ways to stop the new couple "from feeling the love tonight" and fails. When awakened by Nala the next morning, she tells the two that Simba needs their help in order to defeat Scar. Thinking Simba ran out on him, he decides to stay behind, which causes him to break his friendship with Pumbaa, who wants to help. Rafiki indirectly talks sense into Timon and finds Pumbaa to restore his friendship with him. Timon along with Pumbaa, Ma, and Uncle Max defeat the hyenas thus helping Simba reclaim his rightful place as king. After Simba becomes king, he becomes a hero when he delivers his colony to the jungle paradise. The Lion Guard Set in the middle of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Timon and Pumbaa return, and have become the adoptive uncles of a young honey badger named Bunga. Together, they reside in an area of the Pride Lands called Hakuna Matata Falls. Despite being his uncles, Timon and Pumbaa act more along the lines of parental figures to Bunga, Timon being the more stern and aggressive of the two, in regards to raising Bunga, specifically due to his dislike for Bunga's life philosophy, "Zuka Zama". They first appear in the pilot film, helping Zuri free her claws from a log. Timon fancies himself an expert on removing ]] claws from logs, as Simba repeatedly got his claws stuck in logs during his childhood days with him and Pumbaa. Before they can do so, the duo are greeted by an excited Bunga, who announces that he and Simba's son, Kion, are to be members of the new Lion Guard; protectors of the Pride Lands. Timon is immediately against the idea, believing hard work and danger to be against Hakuna Matata, though Kion is able to alter this train of thought by claiming he needs Bunga to join due to the honey badger being the bravest animal he knows. This is enough to impress Timon, who shows great pride in his nephew's title, and the meerkat subsequently congratulates Bunga on his position. Since Return of the Roar, Timon has become considerably more accepting towards Bunga's various quirks, and has shown to be as supporting as Pumbaa at times, such as in instances during "The Rise of Makuu" and "Bunga the Wise". In "The Search for Utamu", it was revealed how Timon and Pumbaa came to adopt Bunga. One day, while searching for rare utamu bugs that only come out once a year, a baby, orphaned honey badger latches onto Pumbaa's leg. Timon orders the toddler to leave, but he remains and makes it apparent that he wishes to stay by the duo's side. Timon notes his disinterest in raising another child (after all the work Simba was), telling Pumbaa that they've already done so with Simba, but with Bunga's persistence strong, Timon concocts a scheme and orders the honey badger to fetch grubs from a tall tree branch, dangling over a chasm. Bunga does so effortlessly, both surprising and impressing Timon, who had assumed the honey badger would be too fearful to go through with the task. Feeling that they've a perfect grub-catcher, Timon decides to keep Bunga. In "Bunga and the King", Timon shows his emotional side when he thinks about how his two "babies" (Simba and Bunga) are lost in a network of tunnels. He is seen crying and being visually relieved once Bunga and Simba rejoin them. Trivia * In The Lion King 1½, Timon is shown to interact with the audience a few times, especially in the beginning and ending non-movie theater setting scenes of the film. * Timon's appearance in The Lion King 1½ compared to other works is appealing in most cases, since also being the central protagonist of this film. * In the first Lion King film, Timon is the only character who stands and walks on his back feet (while meerkats normally walk on all four). Interestingly he is seen running in all fours at least once in both the first film (exiting the cave entrance on Pride Rock with Pumbaa and Zazu, after the off-screen fight against the Hyenas) and the sequel (in a futile attempt to charge at an outsider with Pumbaa). Moreover, it occurred in the climactic battle sequence of both movies. * It is revealed in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride that Timon is unaware of Scar's death. * Timon, along with Pumbaa and Simba, is the most popular character from The Lion King franchise. * Despite the fact that Scar is one of Timon's enemies, they never interact with each other. * In an early script for The Lion King 1½, Timon's digging skills would be just fine and there were four bullies that make him leave. * Timon has a polar opposite named Monti. He makes his first and only appearance in the Timon & Pumbaa episode "Kenya Be My Friend?". * He has some knowledge on human technology, such as guns. In Simba's Pride, when he and Pumbaa are cornered by the Outsiders during the battle, Timon jumps on the backside of frightened Pumbaa and brandishes the latter's tail like a gun and points it at the Outsiders, warning that "this thing loaded". The Outsiders foolishly fall for it and run away in fear. This implies that in unseen occasions, the beasts of Pride Land have encounter humans with guns (possibly wildlife rangers, hunters and poachers), otherwise they didn't know the concept of guns. ** On the first Virtual Safari, he has some knowledge of the GPS tracking system. ** The television series and the Wild About Safety episodes showcase Timon owning several human items, as well as Pumbaa, including an iPad. * According the filmmakers, Timon and Pumbaa were meant to be childhood friends of Simba who stuck with him after his exile from Scar. It was later decided that Timon and Pumbaa were outcasts as well to have a better relationship with Simba. * According to the Timon and Pumbaa's Wild About Safety episode "Fire Safety," Timon's address is 500 Buena Vista St., which is the street address of the headquarters of The Walt Disney Company in Burbank, California. * Timon's line, "What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?", was improvised by his voice actor, Nathan Lane. * Timon prefers crunchy bugs above all other foods. * Timon's original voice actor in the films was Nathan Lane, who was occasionally replaced in other media as Timon's voice by Quinton Flynn, who voices Lea and Axel in the Kingdom Hearts series. * In the Spanish version of the play, he speaks with an Andalusian accent. * A monkey resembling Timon makes a cameo in The Jungle Book 2, along with a warthog resembling Pumbaa, during the song "W-I-L-D". * Timon and Pumbaa were originally supposed to sing the entirety of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" in a comical fashion, but Elton John decided not to use that version of the song because he felt that it sounded horrible. * In the movie, MouseHunt, which co-starred Nathan Lane, he briefly says "Hakuna matata" in one of the scenes before the auction. * Timon is seemingly from Jewish ancestry, but it is unknown if he practices this religion; he speaks with a yiddish accent, his mom used the word "meshugenah," and in The Lion King 1½, he sang the song "Sunrise, Sunset", from the Jewish-themed musical, "Fiddler on the Roof."